Carlos Alcaraz and Gabriela Sabatini shared a heartwarming moment of mutual admiration at the ATP 250 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.
The Spaniard made his return to the ATP tour after a four-month-long absence due to injury at the Argentina Open. He defeated Laslo Djere in a challenging encounter in his opening match of the tournament. In the subsequent round, the teenager had a more relaxed experience when he defeated Dusan Lajovic while conceding only six games.
The World No. 2 expressed his happiness at being back to his winning ways as he registered his first win of the 2023 season.
“It’s a great feeling to win again,” Alcaraz said in his post-match interview. “It’s been a long time for me, no competition and no matches, just recovery. And finally, I got my first win of 2023.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Gabriela Sabatini met during the tournament. Alzaraz posted a picture of the two posing together and thanked Sabatini for coming out to see him play.
“Thank you very much Gaby for coming to see me! Always fantastic!” Alcaraz wrote on Twitter.
Muchas gracias Gaby por venir a verme! ❤️ Siempre fantástica! 🤩 @sabatinigabyok pic.twitter.com/XOifKtWmf1
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) February 18, 2023
Gabriela Sabatini replied to the post and expressed her admiration for the Spaniard and congratulated him for all of his achievements.
“It is wonderful to see you play @carlosalcaraz, congratulations for everything you are achieving, I admire you,” Sabatini replied.
Es maravilloso verte jugar @carlosalcaraz , felicitaciones por todo lo que estás logrando, te admiro 🙌❤️ @ArgentinaOpen https://t.co/J9k4Ul95WX
— Gabriela Sabatini (@sabatinigabyok) February 18, 2023
The Argentine legend has been very supportive of the tournament and was seen enjoying her time watching the matches play out.
“The absolute queen of Argentine tennis and her well-deserved ovation on an unforgettable night of #ArgOpen2023,” the tournament’s Twitter handle posted.
La reina absoluta del tenis argentino y su merecida ovación en una noche inolvidable de #ArgOpen2023 🏆
👏🏻👸🏻
📸 @robycomby | Argentina Open pic.twitter.com/eNkwziUoRG
— Argentina Open (@ArgentinaOpen) February 16, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz is through to the semi-finals of the Argentina Open
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Dusan Lajovic, 6-4, 6-2, to book a spot in the semi-finals of the Argentina Open, his first tournament back from injury.
The 19-year-old suffered an abdominal injury during his match against Holger Rune at the Rolex Paris Masters in November of 2022. He was subsequently forced to pull out of multiple competitions such as the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals.
His 2023 season debut was postponed owing to a leg injury, causing him to withdraw from the Australian Open. The long layoff due to injuries forced Alcaraz to relinquish his World No. 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic.
Carlos Alcaraz will face Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the semi-finals of the Argentina Open. Zapata Miralles defeated fourth seed Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals. Alcaraz currently leads the head-to-head between the two 1-0 after he won their previous encounter at the French Open in 2021.